Refurbished Bayonet

by BooMaster

10K5816

Intro: Refurbished Bayonet

My brother left me a bucket of rusted hand tools. Hidden among the odd pieces was this bayonet. This rusted-up piece of metal was just begging to shine again!

STEP 1: Sanding and Sanding and Sanding Some More....

I used a series of very rough to finer grades of sandpaper, elbow grease, and a polishing wheel to remove all the rust.

STEP 2: Pick the Wood and Bring to It to Round

I chose to use birch. I love the feel and look of this hardwood and it is easy to work with while it maintains its strength.
I turned the piece on my midi-lathe after cutting the block to length.

STEP 3: Half That Sucker!

Using my table saw, I bisected the rounded piece of birch. I set the blade height to cut only half way through to I could safely maintain the blade/wood orientation.
The handle shaft outline was transferred to the interior of the cut round and the wood was removed to accommodate the handle shaft.

STEP 4: More Sanding & Shaping

Using a belt sander, the two halves are shaped into a more ergonomically-pleasing shape. I kept checking and rechecking to ensure the wood handle would meld into the contour of the metal components.

STEP 5: Drill & Glue

I drilled matching holes in the wood pieces and the internal metal shaft to accommodate two shaft pins. I dry-fit all these pieces to ensure no surprises once the epoxy came out.
I epoxied the wood, the shaft, and the shaft pins. Then I clamped it together and I left it to dry overnight. The blade was taped to avoid getting any epoxy on it.

STEP 6: Even MORE Sanding....

The shaft pin screws were set and a final, fine-grit sanding took place all over the handle.

STEP 7: Stain & Smile!

I applied a final stain (Early American), wiped it dry, and let it cure in the beautiful Montana sun!
I am very pleased with how this project came out. It looks great and feels very solid in my hand. I believe this was a M4 bayonet from World War II.

16 Comments

paul the maker 8 years ago

a real Halloween prop you have helped me allot refurbishing my stuff aswell

BooMaster 8 years ago

Thanks Paul. I'm glad you are finding some value in my posts!

EliasT 8 years ago

No sharpening ?

Pygar 8 years ago

The pits (missing metal) were there when you first picked it up- rust blocked your view, that's all. Vinegar is just easier and faster.

MandalorianMaker 8 years ago

I dont believe there were m4s in world war 2. The m4 is the newer version of the m16, which was not not used in world war 2, I think they were used in Vietnam.

BooMaster 8 years ago

If my research was correct, the m4 bayonet was made around 1944 and used also in the Korean War. That model eventually became the modern bayonet. Thanks for your comment.

Pygar 8 years ago

Nice- but a soak in vinegar would have saved a lot of sanding... Next time, right?

BooMaster 8 years ago

I wonder if that would have left the metal without the dark pitting?

BooMaster 8 years ago

Thank you. Nice of you to say so.

came6920 8 years ago

Isn't a bayonet a gun with a knife on the end? Thought so. Looks good love the handle!

RussellG10 8 years ago

No.
A bayonet is the blade that attaches to te end of a military rifle. (Like the one hes working on)

windego 8 years ago

hi there Nice job I like restoring old metal also.The vinegar trick mention by Pygar really gives a good result,you just soak in white vinegar for 24hrs give a rush over with a tooth brush rinse ,dry and finish off with a fine wire brush you will be amazed

powerfulparadox 8 years ago

Looks very nice. I believe the word you were trying to spell in the title is "refurbished." Things like that get all of us at one time or another.